Ex-husband charged with murder in killing of Ohio dentist and his wife

A suspect was arrested in Illinois for the fatal shootings of an Ohio dentist and his wife, according to police.

Columbus police issued a warrant for Michael McKee, a 39-year-old Chicago resident, on Saturday and police said authorities arrested him on the same day in Rockford, Illinois, without incident. He was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Spencer Tepe and Monique Tepe, police said.

McKee is the ex-husband of Monique, according to Franklin County court records obtained by CBS News.

The arrest came days after police released footage of a person of interest seen walking near the home of the victims around the time the dentist and his wife were killed.

Investigators believe Spencer, 37, and Monique, 39, were fatally shot between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Dec. 30 in their home located in the Near East Side neighborhood of downtown Columbus, local police said.

The Tepe family said in a statement that McKee’s arrest on Saturday was “an important step toward justice for Monique and Spencer,” thanking law enforcement and investigators for their effort.

“Monique and Spencer remain at the center of our hearts, and we carry forward their love as we surround and protect the two children they leave behind,” the statement read in part. “We will continue to honor their lives and the light they brought into this world.”

Officers were dispatched to the Tepes’ home in the late morning of Dec. 30 for a welfare check, according to a statement from the Columbus Division of Police. When they arrived, they found Spencer and Monique Tepe dead with apparent gunshot wounds.

Investigators said no weapons were found at the scene and there were no signs of forced entry. Two children, a 1-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl, were found inside the home uninjured. 

Last week, CBS News obtained a 911 call from last April between a dispatcher and an unknown woman at the same address where the Tepes lived. 

At around 2:45 a.m. on April 15, 2025, someone called 911 but hung up before speaking to an operator. Authorities called back to ask if everything was OK, and a woman said, “Me and my man got into it, but I’m OK, I promise.” She said she did not need police or paramedics. The call lasted around one minute.